Betwixt Twilights
by Mazz84
Summary: Second in the Save Me trilogy. Sonic and Eggman both have a piece of Shadow. After breaking into Eggman's base, a trip to The ARK might uncover secrets about The Phoenix and it's link to Shadow. But is there a danger closer to home? All reviews welcome!
1. Chapter 1

**Second volume of Save Me!**

**Don't own anything Sonic or Sega related. **

**Please enjoy. All reviews welcome.**

Save Me-- Vol Two , Betwixt Twlights.

Chapter One.

Sonic peeked out from his hiding place behind the rubble, he checked his watch, then covered his ears as the air around him blew up. The blue hedgehog took out a binoc-u-com from his backpack and switched it on.

" Yo guys? Guys? _GUYS _? "

A fuzzy picture of a pink girl hedgehog swam into view, covering her ears. " Damn it, Sonic! I'm not deaf, you know ! " She thought for a second, then added, " Well, I _am_ now. What is it? "

Sonic smiled at her picture with relief, " I thought I was on my own ! Are the guys with you?"

Amy shook her head, " They're moving into position to begin phase two, I strongly suggest you get a move on," She waggled her eyebrows, " if you want to join in the fun."

" Are you kidding ?! A guy goes away for two weeks for some _alone time_, and when he comes back he finds the warehouse area of Station Square in the hands of his greatest rival. Of course I'm not gonna miss it! Just one question though,"

"Just the one?"

He frowned at her via the screens, " How did Eggman get the whole area? Did he steal it?"

" No. He brought it using a false name. Uncle Chuck found out , and when he _did _show his findings to the S.S Police, it was too late."

"That, or Eggman paid them off. Okay, I'm going in. Just make sure you get out. I don't want you getting hurt."

Amy sighed, " That sounded good, Sonic. You sounded like you cared about me, but you're right. I'll pack up and head back to Mystic Ruins to give Uncle Chuck a hand, just promise me that all three of you will make it back in one piece. Promise?" She crossed her heart, and held up her little finger to the screen. " Promise?"

He crossed his heart, and held up his pinky finger to the screen. "Promise. Now get going." The screen went blank, Sonic placed the gizmo back into his bag and started scaling the hillside. " Look out, Eggman. Here I come."

--------------------------------------------

Sonic stood in front of the computer terminal, taping his chin. _Hhmm... lets see, if I connect this one and this one..._ He pressed the wires together, there was a sudden spark, that made him cry out. Sucking his fingers, Sonic spotted a tiny gold star next to a big, black switch. Mentally slapping his forehead for not looking for Tails' sign, he grinned as he slammed it home.

" Place go boom. Sonic go home." He zoomed out of the control room, heading for the air vents and was blinded by a bright light, " Whoa, hey what gives? I'm blind,_ blind _!!" He sniggered and back-tracked along the corridor, away from the robots that were attacking him. " Suckers."

He raced along the maze of metal, dodging lazer fire from Eggman's Mechs. Sonic took a chance and dived into the open air vents, the Mechs went past, bleeping as they couldn't understand where their target had got to. He sat back against the wall and took out a small grey box, with it, he tapped into the camera systems to check on Tails and Knuckles. Flicking through the many cameras around the base, he spotted a group a Mechs marching very close together behind a single figure dressed in a black coat . A second, smaller group was behind carrying something else, although he couldn't see what it was, Sonic had a gut feeling it was bad but he didn't have time for snooping, he had to find his buddies. Finally he found them, they were crouched in a corner, surrounded by Mechs. To his horror, he realized he was too far away to help and watched hopelessly as the 'bots closed in.

Something fired at the 'bots off- screen.Sonic looked on as one by one the Mechs fell, until Knuckles and Tails stood alone and safe. Their rescuer swooped into view wearing a deep purple cloak, after a quick converstaion, the hooded figure tore off a wall panel with one white hand. Sonic gasped as the cloak fell away to reveal a black arm attached to the white hand. After ushering Tails and Knuckles into the hole, they took off at high speeds.

Sonic packed up and crawled out of the air vents, the ground rumbled beneath him, _Okay, I guess Tails knew what he was doing with that switch. It __**was**__ connected to the power supply and the whole place is gonna blow, yay Tails._ He had to find the transport bay, and cut off one of Eggman's escape routes. He picked up the pace, rounded a corner and was, again, blinded by bright lights.

" Oh, _geez _! Now what ? "

_"The game's over , rodent ! " _Came Eggman's voice, via a loud speaker. _" You're surrounded, your plan has failed. I have won."_ Twenty Mechs surrounded the hedgehog, guns raised and armed.

"You haven't won anything , Eggface. Your brand-spanking new home is about to fall, with you still in it. So, as cozy as staying here with you sounds, I have another engagement." The ground rumbled again, a loud explosion sent fireballs racing across the junctions of the corridors. He ducked as a fireball shot over his head, narrowly missing his ears. " Catch you later, Eggman!"

" FIRE ALL !! "

The side crashed opened, the same hooded figure zig-zagged around the 'bots planting small bombs on their legs. They didn't stop, they grabbed Sonic by the wrist and led him away as the area behind them erupted, causing pieces of robots and shattered corridors flying everywhere.

Yet in the middle of the commotion, Eggman sat back at his control terminal, with a calm smile on his face. ( He wasn't _that_ foolishly mad to face Sonic himself.)" You know something? " He said softly as he heard footsteps approach,a small gloved hand with a golden wristlet wrapped around his arm in a tender gesture, he patted it kindly. " I _really_ hate that hedgehog." He groaned as he got out of his chair, his helper did everything they could to ease his pain." My child, you are so kind to your old man. It warms my heart, you know.. if I had one.."

" My master, everything is in place. We are ready to begin the next stage of your plan."

Eggman grinned like a spoiled kid at Christmas, " Excellent. With a mole on the inside, getting what I need to bring back Shadow should be a piece of cake! _Bwahh-hhaa-haa_!"

---------------------------------

Once safely outside, Sonic pulled on the hand holding his, the other person stopped. Sonic looked over his shoulder, he smiled as he spotted a blue plane fly overhead. He slapped the other on the back, causing them to stumble forward.

" I don't know how you did it, but it's great to have you back. Thanks for the save, Shadow."

" Sh-Shadow ? That's the second time I've been called that tonight." They reached for the hood of their cloak and pushed it back, " Hello, Uncle Sonic."

" Wait... _Uncle Sonic _? Hang on, black fur and white markings..." He walked around them as they took the cloak off and folded into the pack hidden in some bushes nearby, " Blonde hair, green eyes and a child-like voice... It can't be.. is that you ,Carla?"

Carla, Tails' android daughter, smiled at her adoptive uncle. Months ago, Tails had sent her away to live with some monks in the northern mountains. She was safe there from all the terrible business with Celosia--( The fire demon that had nearly destroyed the whole planet. Sonic and the gang had defeated her, but at a very high price, they had lost Shadow. Now they were searching for a way to bring him back, having gotten Shadow's memories from Naminé a few weeks back, they were looking for Shadow's body that was _rumoured_ to be safe on The ARK and a way to get there.)-- Sonic looked at her more closely, her hair had grown and now hung in a single braid down her back. She was bare foot and semi-naked, but had retained some of her dignity by making a make-shift vest ( Sonic guessed from a much longer toga or sari ) that was draped over her left shoulder and held in place by a series of safety pins. Her right shoulder was bare, but Sonic was horrified to see her arm covered in digusting bandages.

" Holy Chillidogs, Carla. What the heck happened?"

She sniffed and looked at him sadly, " Robotnik attacked the village! Many robots that looked like our fellow monks stormed the temple and killed my master. A few of us fled into the nearby caves but were soon caught, I managed to escape but then my homing beacon went off. I arrived at Mystic Ruins, found Sir Charles and came here to help." She wiped away a single tear, " I never got to say good-bye." She sobbed into her hands.

" Hey, it's okay." He gave her a quick hug, " We'll get ol' Eggface, I promise. Now then," He smiled at her, " are you well enough to get back to Mystic Ruins under your own steam?"

" I'm not powered by steam." She looked at him, confused as she strapped on her backpack. " But my motor functions are running at 87 , powercells are secure. Why?"

Sonic grinned even more, " Fancy a race?"

-----------------------------------------

They arrived at the workshop. Carla jumped onto the top step,cheering and whooping. Sonic, on the otherhand, pulled himself up by the handrail. He collapsed onto the front porch, exhusted. Tails opened the door, hugged his little girl, then both of them grabbed the doorframe as Sonic whizzed past them. Sonic zoomed into the kitchens, where Amy would be dishing up his favourite snack- three plates piled high with homemade chillidogs. Soon there came a lot of crashing and banging, that caused Knuckles and Uncle Chuck to appear from the meeting room.

" What in blue blazes is going on here?! " The older hedgehog glanced at Tails, " Didn't you tell him?"

" Well.. I-I didn't get the chance, I guess he missed her... _cooking_ too much ?"

Chuck rubbed a hand over his eyes, " _Oohh_. Sonnie-boy! Front and center, young man !"

Sonic screeched to a halt and stood to attention, his face pale and his eyes on the verge of watering. " It's bad news, isn't it?"

Knuckles placed a hand on his shoulder, " Sorry, Sonic. We got Amy's message about coming home, but she never made it."

Shrugging his hand off, Sonic headed for the door, " Then I'm going back for her. We made a promise."

Carla stood in his way, " You can't go back, not now. Wait for the morning.. please?"

" Carla's right--"

" Oh, my gosh!_ I'm _right? That's a first!!" She smiled with pleasure,but then looked at her father's stern expression.She looked at her feet. " Uh sorry, papa."

"Eggman's likely to have doubled his guards by now. Wait for the morning and I promise we'll have a plan," The orange fox held up his little finger to the hedgehog, " I promise." He said again.

Sonic tugged on it with his own, " It's a promise. In the morning, we get Amy back, agreed?"

They all nodded, " Agreed."

--------------------------------------

**Eggman's Main Lab. ( A really smelly, rotten place. But then, you knew that.)**

" I have really out done myself this time," He walked around the glass tube, in which was Amy Rose half- awake. " Now I have the final piece of the puzzle, that's you dear child, my plan is flawless!"

Amy just blinked at him.

The door swished opened and Eggman's helper from earlier, and his Sliver Shadow Andriod, walked into the room. The other stepped up onto the platform, slipping the black coat from their shoulders. They took their place beside Amy ,while Sliver Shadow stood calmly to one side. The other looked at Amy and grinned, Amy just stared back.

" Now, ladies..hold still, this will only tingle for a minute." Eggman turned a blue button all the way to the right, a purple energy ring followed by another dropped from the ceiling of the chamber, circling their heads. Amy shut her eyes as the area was lit by the purple glow, she fell to her knees in the tube and didn't hear Eggman as he giggled with glee. " Oh, life is good! Even Sonic the Hedgehog will be no match for you, my darling. No, no, no ! _Sliver Sonic, Metal Sonic, Hyper Metal Sonic_.. BAH! Those rejects don't hold a candle to you, my sweet. Now, there's one last thing to do, before Sonic gets here..."

As both new comers listened, Sliver Shadow smiled, nodding. "_ Yes, my master_. _It will be done. _"

**What's going on ??**

**Want more? Well, see that little arrow button? Press that and I'll see you there!**

**I'm back baby! Woo-hoo!**


	2. Chapter 2

**You clicked the button?**

**Enjoy on me!!**

**Carla and Glory are my own characters. Own nothing belonging to Sega. ( Sobs.)**

Chapter two.

Amy woke with a sore head, groaning, she sat up and mentally checked herself for any broken bones. Finding none, she went to take off her boots only to find them gone. On her feet were a pair of tacky leg-warmers.

"Wha--? W-where's my..Oh my gosh! Where are my clothes!?" Jumping up, she looked down at herself, all she was dressed in was a grey jumpsuit." My clothes?!"

" Hey there, cutie." Said an oddly _familiar_ voice.

"Huh?"

" I hope you don't mind the wardrobe change, Miss Rose. But you see, it's all part of my plan to rid myself of Sonic the Hedgehog. We don't want him getting confused now, do we?" Eggman and his guest walked into the Brig, Amy gasped and covered her mouth. "I know, I know..shocking is it? I have surpassed myself this time. In a matter of days, that pendent you stole from me will be mine. With it, I will bring back the ultimate creature.. and then he will be my slave!"

" You..you don't mean..."

" Uh-huh, " He shivered with delight, " Oohh, I just tingle all over."

"Sonic won't fall for your plan, you..you.._crum-bum_!"

"Oh perfect, _perfect _! My dear?"

There was a moment of static and then," Sonic is to fall for plan, Sonic is a crum-bum."

Eggman giggled with glee, Amy just hung her head.

--------------

**Mystic Ruins--Tails' Workshop. (Above ground.)**

Uncle Chuck twiddled with the knobs on the radio transmitter, " C'mon, c'mon... Oh there!.. _No_ ! C'mon, Chuck, pull yourself together.." He worked out a kink in his neck, strapped on his headphones and twiddled the knobs and switches again.

Tails poked his head in, "How's it coming?"

The elderly hedgehog sighed, " Something is blocking the signal. Everytime I get a little closer, a power surge causes the spy cameras to shut down." He turned in his seat, " How's Sonnie-boy doin'?"

Tails rubbed the back of his neck, " Well..."

------------

**Training Rooms 1 2 ( Below ground.)**

"Okay, Carla. Listen carefully now, do that swift kick again, but this time keep that other arm in tighter against your body." Knuckles righted the dummy and nodded to Carla to take her turn.

"Okay, Knuckles." She took a running start, twisted her lower body and flicked her leg out, connecting with the dummy's stomach. " Hi-yah!" She screamed as she landed an almighty punch to the dummy's chest. A little _too _almighty, " Uh- oh!"

The dummy broke off its stand, flew across the room, through the small window that divided the rooms, into the next room where Sonic was training. " AAAaaahhh--AAGGHH!" There came a _crash--bang--wallop! _as Sonic fell from the climbing wall and landed with a bump, " Oomphh!"

The walls shook as Sonic stormed around to their section, he kicked the door in, Carla's dummy drapped over his shoulder. " Hey! Who's the wise guy?"

Knuckles hid behind some spare mats, while Carla stepped forward happily waving her hand, " It's mine, Uncle Sonic ! Knuckles has been helping me improve my kickboxing skills. Are you impressed?"

"Well...Carla, " Sonic dropped the dummy onto the floor, " Do me a favour, eh? Next time, do your kickboxing someplace else or I'm gonna give you a box 'round the ears! Understand!?" He stormed out again, slamming the door behind him.

Knuckles crawled out of his hiding place, "Whew! That was a close one, Carla. Okay, lets try that move again, but this time on a moving target. I'll pretend to come at you and you knock me back. Take a running start like before, Okay?"

She nodded, "Gotcha!"

As she walked to the other side, Knuckles noticed his shoe was untied, " Aw nuts! Hang on, Carla..Don't go--"

" Go? Okay, here I come!"

"No Carla, wait!!" He dived out the way as Carla came at him at full speed. She soared over his head, through the small window and smack into Sonic." Uh, Ca--Carla?"

"AAGGGHHH!!" Sonic's screamed rocked both training room walls, " Caz, I love you to bits, but right now,you are_ really _starting to _tick--me--off _!!" Carla scrambled back into her training room, narrowly avoiding Sonic's shoe that was aimed at her head. " And stay out!!"

----------------------------

They gathered around the big table,Tails and Carla on one side, Sonic and Knuckles on the other, with Chuck at the head. Sonic tapped his fingers on the wooden surface, bored .

" Sonnie, I have it. I know how you can get inside Eggman's base without setting off too many alarms."

Sonic brightened, " Cool! Let's have it, Unc. My feet are just itching to hit that ol' dirt road."

Chuck sniggered," You won't be going by road, boy. But by air!" He laid out the blue-prints of the base, " According to the blue-prints, the electrical interferences start here- at level twelve, and stop here at level sixteen. Tails will drop you into _here_, this airvent at level fourteen." Pointing at a tiny _x_ on the paper, he drew his finger along to another _x_ at the middle of the base, " I've worked out that the prison cells are here. If anywhere, that's where Eggman is keeping Amy."

" Cool. When do we go?"

Carla raised her hurt hand, " What 'bout those robots I told you about? What if Uncle Sonic runs into them?"

"They won't be a problem, if Sonic's not a problem. I'm working on a programme with Glory that should de-roboticize them." He looked sad for some reason, " I never should've invented that infernal mechine!" He sat down with a thump.

"Unc?"

" It's all my fault, Sonnie. In my world, _I_ invented the Roboticizer as a way of helping older people live longer. But Robotnik--_my _Robotnik-- stole the plans before he took over. When I stumbled into this world through the space-time rift, Eggman captured me thinking I was _you_ in disguise. He scanned my brain, and--and..."

Sonic raced form his chair to comfort his uncle, " It's ok..it's ok..you couldn't help it.." He gave him a hug, after a while Chuck nodded and took off his glasses to wipe his eyes, " Carla ? Will you take Unc to the kitchens for some hot chocolate?" Carla nodded and led Chuck away, one arm wrapped around his shoulders, rubbing his back. Sonic turned to his buddies," Alright team. Knuckles, you stay here, give Carla computer back-up. Tails, you're with me.

They nodded. Tails and Sonic went to the hanger where Tails' plane- _The Tornado_- was waiting. Knuckles stayed up top, ready to give them the green light for the drop. They had a damsel to save.

-----------------------

Sitting in her cell on the bench, Amy sang softly to herself, _" Born free, 'til somebody caught me..."_ Suddenly there came a soft _thump_ nearby, and then...

" Pst, Amy? Amy where are you?"

" Sonic?" She ran to the bars,a big smile on her face, it fell as Sonic walked into view. " Oh ,you shouldn't have come for me! Eggman's bound to find you, just leave me here,save yourself."

"What? No way!" He took out a credit card form his back-pack ,slipped it into the reader by the door that bleeped its acceptence. The door opened, he held his hand out to her, " We leave together."

With tears in her eyes, she hugged him once she was free in a bone-crushing hug. " But how do we get out?" She pulled away and smoothed down her red jumper and matching camouflage trousers. Sonic gave her a quick once over, " Something wrong?"

"What? No! It's just..I've never seen that outfit before..is it new?"

She blushed, " You only saw my head in the screens--" She stopped and looked around her cell, " Oh,_ Oh! _That no goodnik! He's stole my backpack, it had all my things in it, I bet he's destroyed now!" She patted her hands together, her face paled, her eyes filled with worry, " Oh...noo !" She wailed, " I can't feel my hammers anymore!"

Sonic folded his arms across his chest, " I bet Eggman did something to you, but don't worry, Amy. He did it before and you remembered how to call them. You'll get the hang of it again."

She sighed deeply, " I hope so..."

------------------

Bursting out of the base, Sonic ,with Amy in his arms, dodged the flying Mechs hovering around the ware-houses. They entered an empty building and Sonic peeked through the broken window. Seeing two of the robots come their way, he yelped and fell to the floor, dropping Amy by accident,who hit her head on the wall behind her.

"It's cool," He said after a while, " they've gone. Hey, are you ok?"

Amy rubbed the back of her head, giving him a pained smile, she nodded. " I'm fine, really.." She cozied up to him and kissed his cheek, " Thank you for coming to my rescue, Sonic. It was very brave of you."

" Erm..n-no problem..r-really. Uh, Amy?" He tried to edge away, but Amy held on fast. "Erm..." She started rubbing his arms softly,tilting her head to one side, she gave him a flirty smile. _Now, is not the time, you need to get out of here!_ " Erm..A-Amy..?"

She shivered, suddenly she looked scared, she dropped his arm as if was a digusting thing. " I don't like here, can we go home now? Please?"

Sonic grinned and stood, taking her into his arms, he waited for her to settle and said, " Sonic Express at your serivce ma'am. Next stop--Mystic Ruins." He revved up and they took off, Amy screamed and hung on, burying her head against his shoulder, scared out of her wits. They left a cloud of dust in their wake.

------------

Back in his base, Eggman sat back in his chair with a smile on his face. " That's it , Sonic.. Run home with your _sweetheart. _You might've broken the video-link, but that shouldn't be a big problem." He pressed a button on the consoles, " Sliver Shadow, ready _The Scrambler_, if my cousin _is_ as smart as me--which I highly doubt-- we should prepare to slip away undetected to The ARK at a moments notice." He gazed at one of the many screens showing the different areas of his base, upon finding the right one, he giggled madly. " Aaahh, _true_ love, you gotta love it!! AAHH-HHAA-HA!"

**Update may take awhile, computer troubles.**

**Please R R.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for reviews! Keep 'em coming!**

**Enjoy Chapter 3, here we go!**

Chapter 3.

After a brief welcome back, the gang split up and decided to call it day. Tails helped Chuck shut down the computers before heading to bed, Carla visited the Hospital Room to get her arm fixed and Knuckles left for his little hut by the Master Emerald shrine.

That left Sonic and Amy in the kitchens...

Sonic watched the pink hedgehog with an expression close to affection as she took a number of dull ingredients and combined them in a large, simmering pot. She tasted the sauce, dunked the spoon in again, blew and held it out to him. Sonic smiled before tasting, he licked his lips in approval.

" Mmm-hhmm-hmm! Perfecto was always, Amy." He took another spoonful as Amy sliced open a load of finger-rolls, placed warmed frankfurters covered in the chilli-sauce in the buns and set the plate in front of him. " Urm.. haven't you forgotten something?"

"Huh? I-I don't think so. I followed my recipe precisely." She turned away to check the notepad stuck to the cupboard door, missing Sonic's pout. " Nope. I followed it precisely."

" Uh..oh, okay then." He picked up two dogs, " Through the teeth, past the gums. Look out tummy, here it comes!" Throwing the dogs into the air, he swallowed them both whole. He munched his way through the plate while Amy started on the washing up. " AH ! Yum-um-mee!" Bleching loudly, he sat back and rubbed his swollen belly. "Hey, Amy? Leave that for the morning and go get some sleep. You must need it after all you've been through."

" Has to be done." She replied in a flat tone.

"Geez, you're such a cleaning freak! Well, I'm going to bed. Night then."

She didn't turn from her chore to kiss him goodnight, just said in the same flat tone, " Has to be done.."

Sonic left the kitchens, alittle suspicious ( to say the least). He quickly checked in on Chuck and the others before going to his room. He rumaged around before taking a thin,shiny object from his bedside table. He snuck out and headed into the darkness.It had started raining again, and though he really didn't want to get wet, there was someone he had to see before the night was out.

---------------------------

The main computer bleeped on, there came a cracking of knuckles, then the rapid tapping of keys.

Some static,a clearing a throats, and then," Computer. Access file: _SHADOW ALPHA ONE ZERO_."

A beep. " _Voice verification approved. File SAOZ is password protected. Password please_."

" M-A-R-I-A. Maria."

"_ Password unknown. Level 5 password needed to open file. Password unknown_."

A gloved fist hit the desk, " Darn it!"

----------------

**Station Square-- Outskirts.**

The young lady watched the TV with a bowl of popcorn resting on her lap. A big flash of lighting lit up the darkened room, causing her to scream. The bowl fell to the floor with a _clang _and hit her foot.

" _Oh! _Ow,ow, and can I say- OOWW!"

She hobbled into the hallway and the lights went out, she froze. _Not another bloody powercut?_ She edged forward, stubbed her toe on the side-table and yelped.

" You know.." came a voice from the darkness, " you should really have your wires looked at."

It had begun raining, a flash of _real _lighting lit up the hallway, the girl gasped at the silhouette by the windows. " Y- You're back then?"

"Yeah, came here as soon as everyone was asleep. By your request." The dark stranger walked to the wall and flicked the switch. Green eyes adjusted to the sudden flare of brightness. They smiled, " I'm ba-ack!"

A smile in return, " SONIC!!" She limped over for a hug, " Oh! Welcome home!" She kissed both his cheeks and nuzzled into the warm fur at the nape of his neck.She sensed something was wrong and pulled away." What's wrong?"

" You seem to be the only one who's happy I'm back." A weak grin. " It's great to see you too, Glory."

Glory Robotnik looked at him with narrowed eyes, " You're not smart enough to pull the wool over my eyes, Sonic. What's the matter?"

Sonic sighed, " I'll tell you over a hot chocolate."

---------

Dawn said hello, the first rays of the sun drifted into the large kitchen where Sonic and Glory sat ,talking the night away and drinking hot chocolate.Serveral mugs later, Sonic sat nursing his luke-warm chocolate, " ..And then she practically threw herself at me. I've never known Amy coming on to me like that before, it was..strange, you know?"

" Strange? "

He nodded, " Yeah, and her chillidogs tasted bland, she didn't kissed me goodnight. I mean right now, she's cleaning the kitchens.. _cleaning_!? Amy always leaves it till the morning or makes Tails do it. Oh, and she screamed her head off when I hit full speed coming home, she's never done that before.. _never_. Something's wrong with her."

Glory set down her own mug, " All this _after _Eggman captured her ? Hhhmm? Mind control? " A giggle, " No, no.. too simple! Must be something more..more _complex_. Something to get my little grey matter working..." She blinked at Sonic, " And speaking of things complex, I hope you have something for me , Sonic."

Sonic nodded, and reached into his sock, he pulled out the thinest sliver of metal. Placing it onto the table, the hedgehog picked up a cookie and nibbled.

" Amazing!" She slipped on a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and picked up the piece of metal. She tried to bend it, but it just wouldn't go. " Where did you get this from?"

" Badlands."

Her lip trembled and her eyes sparkled slightly." The crater where we battled Celosia? I heard that her remains drifted back to this planet and solidified, but I never... So they named it The Badlands ,huh? Silly G.U.N."

" It seemed to me I wasn't the first one there. There were a lot of digging robots, all bearing the same cheeky-faced logo."

Glory's eyes flashed, " Ivo?" There came a loud ringing that she narrowed her eyes at, " Your quills are singing."

" Huh? Oh, blast!" Reaching for his back, Sonic nearly fell off his stool. He found his phone, flipped the lid, said " Hello?" And covered his ears as Tails started screaming at him from the other end. " What? Level 5-- what? Tails? _Tails?!_.Damn it!"

Glory sat up at once and started packing a small handbag, " Someone has tried to break into Sir Charles' files. Give me a sec to change and I'll come with you."

He blinked, "W-wha-? Why?"

She stopped as she placed the sliver of metal in the bag, " Level 5 is top secret, Sonic. While you were away, I helped Charles with his firewalls and paswords. Level 5 is Failsafe, nobody can access them, you were here with me so I couldn't have done it, same goes for you. Tails is working on a very important mission on my behalf, as is Knuckles. We need to find who's to blame and quickly."

" Level 5 is about Shadow, isn't it?"

She sighed deeply, " Yes. If the information on those files falls into the wrong hands, we're all in trouble." She headed to her room to change,Sonic sat on his stool and broke his un-finished cookie in half.

---------------

**Tails' Workshop.**

Glory and Chuck got to work at once, Sonic was standing behind them, every- so-often Chuck would rubbed his chin and shake his head.

" _Amazing_! The design is near enough perfect.. I mean look at it ! It makes Carla look like a school project."

" Yes. Quite amazing, Sir Charles, _amazing_. Obviously they thought we'd be too slow on the up-take. As you've pointed out, the design is definitely his style, but _that _thing... it's so small, how'd it get in?"

Chuck laughed, " Glad you brought that up, Glory, for you see..." He trailed off as he finally spotted Sonic. " Oh.. urm, Sonnie- boy!"

Glory, alittle red in the face, smiled at the hedgehog, " S-Sonic! Excuse me, gentlemen, I have to make a call. Tell Tails to start loading the ship, it shouldn't be long now." She winked at Chuck, before getting out her phone and going over to the otherside of the room to make her call.

" Ok, what the---"

" No time! No time, Sonnie!" Chuck shooed him out the room, ignoring his weak protests. " Go below , find the others and tell Tails that it's time. He'll know what I'm on about."

As Sonic sulked off to the stairwell, he mumbled, " Glad someone does."

He found Tails and Knuckles in a big storage closet, the fox was packing large boxes with all kinds of gizmos and _weapons_-- handheld guns mostly. He didn't stop to chat because clearly Tails was talking to Chuck via his head-set. Knuckles suddenly grunted into his head-set and went out of eye shot, Sonic didn't see what he was packing next, but when he did come back into view, he gave Tails a very small sliver case.. that glowed.

Amy was easiest to find, for she was still in the kitchens. By now she had emptied all the cupboards, cleaned all the surfaces and was now putting the cans, boxes and other containers back in place according to size and shape. She was paler than when Sonic had left and was talking to herself. Very strange and so un-Amyish.

As Sonic searched the workshop for Carla, he passed the bedrooms and thought for a moment that he saw a whisper- that looked like to him- of a hem of a black coat or robe. He stepped closer, pushed the door ajar and found no one inside, just an open window and an opened black shoe box. His heart hammered in his chest, who had the nerve to dis-respect Shadow's box like this? Panicking, the hedgehog tipped the remainer of its contents onto the bedspread- that was the palest pink- and pawed through it, his heart sank. The most important object in the Friendship Box that Amy had made for Shadow's return was missing.

Shadow's pendent was_ missing _!

And only one of _them_ was missing.

Carla.

**The plot thickens..**

**Anyway, to answer questions, lets just say Shadow will be making a **_ghost _**of an appearance, maybe in the next chapt.**

**Whoops! Said too much!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Due to uncertain-ness ( Is that a word?) on my part, I have decided to re-post this chapter.**

**As promised, dark and handsome will be appearing.**

**Enjoy!!**

Chapter 4

Sonic had covered nearly all of Mystic Ruins before finally finding the Android that called him Uncle. He spotted her in the forest, near the old Temple, she was walking backwards and forwards, hands out in front of her, sniffing.

As he got closer, he also noticed that she was wearing a pair of strap-on 3D glasses. He stepped on a twig, the noise broke Carla out of her day-dream. She span round, claws out and teeth bared, seeing Sonic, she groaned and lowered her hands.

" What do you want?"

" That's nice! What the hell are you playing at, Carla? Where is Shadow's pendent?"

Carla blinked at him and rolled up the sleeves of her blue shirt, her arm was as good as new, just scarred elbow to wrist. " S-Shadow's necklace? I haven't.." She broke off when she saw the look he was giving her. " Wait... You think _I_ took it? Oh, Uncle Sonic! I would_ never _do something like that, Papa programmed me not to.." She sniffed and turned away.

" If you didn't take it.. then, who did?"

Carla grinned at him and pointed to her glasses, " I'm_ trying _to find out. This whole area is flooded with Chaos energy, the glasses help show it and its different colours, here," She reached into her breast pocket and handed him a spare set, " take a look."

Sonic put on the glasses, he looked at Carla and frowned. The air around her was greenish-blue, she grinned again. He looked at his hands, the area around them was.. it was yellow, no, not yellow..it was _gold_. Pushing the goggles onto the top his head, Sonic looked at his hands normally.

" What_ is _this...?"

" It's your Chaos Aura. The monks I was training with helped me develop my skills. I'm a greeny shade, because I'm an Android- not real but _powered_ by Chaos energy. You, on the otherhand, are gold, because you can harness the real power of the Emeralds and turn into your Superform which is also gold. Right?"

He nodded,though a little confused,the glasses fell back in front of his eyes. " But why are you out here?" He peered at her, "Why.. hey look!" He pointed a fair bit away, the area was a brilliant green and it was getting brighter. " What's happening?"

Carla grinned and, grabbing his arm, dragged him behind a nearby tree. " Brilliant! Now, we might get some answers." She crouched low to the ground and motioned him to do the same.

Walking out to the clearing was the hooded figure Sonic had seen back at Eggman's base. In their hand dangled Shadow's pendent, but it wasn't glowing as good as it should. Behind them, was a small group of realistic Androids- the Roboticized monks. Sonic went to make a move, but Carla held onto him fast. As he turned, he spotted her ears had gone flat against her head and her tail had puffed up, her claws dug into his skin, he bit his lip to stop himself crying out and giving their position away. The black figure looked around, pocketed the necklace and then held out their hand,there was a flash of green and a portal appeared, they led the group through it and the thing closed behind them. Sonic and Carla stepped out from their hiding place and walked to where the portal was. The blue hedgehog turned on the stop,stratching his head, while Carla knelt and with her hands out in front of her, sniffed the air.

" I..I.. what the heck was that ?!"

_" Obviously..it was a portal, stupid."_

Sonic stopped dead, his eyes widened to the sizes of small plates and his mouth dropped opened slightly.

" No..way..."

Carla stood and approached the misty figure with a smile, " You made it then? Everything ok?"

He nodded. " _Yes. Thanks to that _thing_ and her use of the Chaos energy around here, I was able to use the Advanced Projection Technique we learned at the Temple to come here. Am I too late?"_

" _Hello_! What the hell's going on?!"

The ghost turned to the blue hedgehog, stepped close, so they were nose to nose, and then smiled. _" Hello, faker."_

Sonic blinked for a second, then sat down with a bump. He looked up and swallowed hard, " Sh- Shadow..?"

----------------

Sonic was still on the floor of the forest, his eyes never leaving the Ghost of Shadow as he walked backwards and forwards along the dirt track, much like Carla had done before. Shadow stilled and nodded,Carla went to his side and after a quick conversation, crouched in front of Sonic.

" Shadow can transport us to where that cloaked person ended up. Come on, up you get!"

" I still don't understand! That thing has his pendent, how come he's here?"

_" Simple, really." _The Ghost held out a hand, a similiar portal appeared. _" _That_ pendent is a fake. The _real _pendent is safe with Glory and near a Chaos Emerald, plus..."_ His expression grew soft, and Sonic saw it mirrored the expression he wore when he was with Amy. _" Amy is still alive.."_

" Well, duh! Of course she is! She's safe at home, though not quite herself."

" _No.._Amy_ is not there. Come, I will show you_." He held onto Carla's hand, waited for Sonic to take his other, and ran at full speed into the darkness...

--------------

Sonic and Carla landed in a heap on cold metal flooring. The Android dusted herself down while Sonic walked to a nearby window and stared out, what he saw made his mouth drop.

They were in space!

" What is this place?" Asked Carla, joining him at the window. Her eyes grew big, " Is that.. No, but it is!? Is that the-the planet?"

" Yep. We're on board The ARK. Why did you bring us here? And how come you're here? Shouldn't you be.. you know..dead?"

Shadow's ghost crossed his arms at them, " _It's quite simple really. When I destroyed _Celosia _with _Chaos Inferno_, I over-did it a little and instead of splitting myself into two as I planned , I split myself into four. One part-- my mind, I gave to Naminé because she was mentally strong, pure of heart and her _Chaos Aura _was so strong even Eggman couldn't crack it. The second part-- my body,was transported back here to the place I was born, where I thought it would be safe. I was so wrong_,"

" Not your fault , Shadow."

He gave Carla a weak smile before continuing. "_ The third part of me is my soul, as it is now,as you see it. When I died, I was in my Superfrom and because of that, I'm able to wander the relms between light and dark. I was lucky to be able to contact Carla using the Projection Technique that Glory taught me ._"

" Betwixt Twilights." Carla said, nodding.

" What? In English please.." Sonic asked, completely confused.

Carla sighed, " Betwixt Twilights is the name the monks called the relms in between light and dark, sort of ghost roads, if you like."

"O-k. Wait, hang on." Sonic held up a hand in front of the ghost hedgehog and ticked off three fingers, " You've only mentioned three things, but you were split into _four_. What the last thing?" He was surprised when a cute blush formed on Shadow's cheeks. " Shadow...?"

Shadow sniffed, " _The last part of me-- my heart, Eggman stole the first chance he got and locked her away. The file that he tried to break into holds a key sentence to stopping _The Phoenix_. My heart can stop the anger of The Phoenix from destroying the world-_---" He stopped and lifted his head, he snarled " L_isten_..."

They did, faintly the sound came. It came bouncing off the walls, somewhere from deep within The ARK. Somebody was sobbing, it was girl and Sonic's ears drooped when he realised who it was.There came a scream and then another voice, deep and serious.

" _Let me have it, girl. You can't hold on to him forever_."

" I can. I-I will. Shadow's mine and I won't let anyone take him from me, not now, not again!"

A mad chuckle, " _Why hold onto him_?"

" Because I love him!"

"_ And does he feel the same_?" The answer was drowned out by another high-pitched scream, that echoed along the corridor.

Carla wiped her eyes with her shirt sleeve. Sonic walked along the corridor, stopping when the sound faded. He turned towards Shadow, the ghost looked back, saddness in the ruby pools. The blue hedgehog took a breath before speaking.

" And _do_ you feel the same?"

" Yes. I would never had given her my heart if I didn't. She only hopes that you will be ok with it."

Sonic grinned. " ' Course I'm ok with it, you daft git! Why'd you think I gave you that candle for? I know Amy loves you and you care about her. But be warned, Shadow..."

" Urm, Uncle Sonic?"

" Not now, Carla. Now listen, Shadow.. you hurt her, really bad like I did, if you break her heart..I'll break your legs. Got it?"

"_Uncle Sonic _!?"

He turned around, " What, Carla !? " And paled, "Oh."

" Well, well ,well..." Came a familiar voice from the doorway. They instantly raised their hands. Only Shadow didn't. " looks like we have a couple of sneak thiefs on board." The owner of the voice, and the stun-gun aimed at them, pushed back the hood of their coat. When her face was revealed,she grinned at them, " Not happy to see me ,Sonic?"

Sonic stood stunned. " I--I.. No way! Amy, what the heck's going on? Why are you siding with Eggman !? What_ is _this?"

" Hhhmm... What indeed... let's have a lookie then?" Carla had on her 3D specs, " If I'm greeny- blue that makes me _part_- Android and you are... _Green_ ! Pure emerald green, so, an Android then?" She looked at her with an expression of marvel. " Impressive! Hats off to Eggman.._this _time..."

Sonic was looking over at Shadow, wondering why the Amy Android hadn't seen him. And then it hit him, the ghost thing. He and Carla could see Shadow because of the glasses. Shadow grinned at him with a nod, the mesage was clear just like last time, before the battle with Celosia. The next move, was his.

" _She can take you to Amy and Eggman_." He said as he calmly walked around them, hands behind his back. " _The pendent is fake, remember ? Eggman can't do a thing with it, and while he wastes time figuring it out, he's buying us some time for the others to get here. I will help them all I can, Knuckles knows what's going going on," _At Sonic's raised brows he added_," visions from the Master Emerald. Don't worry, as long as the real Amy's safe..so am I."_

Sonic nodded once, watching him fade into nothingness. Sighing, he raised his hands again and spoke in a clear voice. " Okay. I- give- up! Take me to his Royal Bloatness!"

Carla rolled her eyes as she followed his lead, " Way to go, Uncle Sonic."

**I was playing one of the Sonic Mega Collections for the PS2 the other night, I didn't know that Sweet Dreams was from Sonic 2 from the Megadrive game ( Don't believe me ?Go to the sound test,or play the game with all Emeralds-- it plays during the black and white slideshow.) As well as from Sonic Next Gen '06.**

**Again, updates will be delayed as I am now banned from the computer for a week.( For something I didn't even do!!)**

**(Sigh) Oh well, at least I can start penning the last volume, as of which is untitled.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Anyway, thanks for reviews**

**Enjoy peeps!**

Chapter Five. 

**ARK-- Main Lab.**

The first thing that came to Sonic, was the stink of rotten eggs. By the gagging sound beside him,Carla had taken a sniff.

The room was large. There were status tubes everywhere, all filled with some kind of orange liquid. At the far side by the window, over looking the darkness of space, stood several over-crowded desks with star charts and computers on their tops.

Amy Android pushed them untill they were standing in front of a much bigger desk. The chair was facing away from them, when she stopped to place the necklace on the table, the chair span round. Sonic had to stop himself from rolling his eyes as Eggman came into view, a big smug grin on his fat face.

" Ah! Mister Hedgehog!" He crowed cheerfully.

Sonic _did _roll his eyes this time, " A bit cheesy.. even for _you_, Eggman."

The Doctor shrugged. " Eh? So what? Oh-ho!" He reached for the pendent and held it above his head, it glinted in the dim light. Carla held her breath as he examined it closely, then quietly released it when he nodded. As the mad man got up and headed towards one table littered with star-charts, she noticed that he was wearing a white lab coat, she narrowed her eyes at the label pinned on the breast pocket.

" _Professor _? Promoted yourself, have we?"

He cackled madly, " Oh no, dear, no. This, " He pulled on the coat's hem, " was my Grandfather's."

Sonic snorted, " And it _fits_!? Bloody hell--Aagghh!" Sonic groaned and rubbed his cheek. A silver hand retracted, he sneered, " Nice to see you again, Silver Shadow."

"_ Do not speak ill of my Master,hedgehog.Or._.." He lifted his fist, Sonic backed off.

" No need thanks, got the memo. " Sonic gingerly prodded his cheek again, wincing. He ran his tongue around the inside of his jaw, checking for any broken teeth. " Man, it's gonna be a beaut when it comes out." He muttered.

" Always the hot-head, eh, Sonic?" Eggman took a quick peek at one of the computer screens.

" Well?"

He pocketed the necklace and adjusted his dark glasses at the hedgehog, " Well..what?"

"Don't beat around the bush, Lard-belly ! What the hell have you been doing up here? Where's the real Amy? Where's Shadow's body?"

" So many questions! All will be revealed shortly, but not before time. Your sweet, little friend is safe, Silver Shadow has made it his top priority she is so," The metal version of Shadow grinned evilly and wiped one of his clawed hands free from blood, Sonic repressed the urge to punch him. " No doubt my (- poor excuse I must say -) relative figured out that I'm up here, thank heavens for _The Scrambler _teleport system, I'm guessing correctly_ she _stopped my launches.Now, Sonic, I have a question for _you _: What legendary figure dies every 500 years only to be reborn better and stronger than before? Hhhmm? Anything?"

" Gee, let me guess.. it wouldn't be a Phoenix, by any chance?"

" Cocky-ness will get you no where, Pin head. Seeing as you missed me during all that guff with Naminé, I've been a very busy boy, trying to _persuade _the being known as _The White Phoenix_ to join my team--"

" But that's impossible!" Shouted Sonic, " _The Phoenix _is a good guy ! Or is that girl? Anyway, they over saw the merge between Naminé and Shadow, the whole world saw it--"

Eggman's glasses glinted in the dim light, " He didn't tell you... You see, Sonic, I know Shadow has been here, my ghost detectors have been blinking non-stop for weeks. When he went down to the planet to over see the_ merge_as you called it, my secret weapon vanished! The traitor hi-jacked _The Phoenix's _weakened form to use it for his own purpose." The Doctor thumped the table top hard, " I've been racking my brains over how he did it, and then I came to me-- The Chaos Emeralds!_ Angels in flight_, I believe the phase was, right? Well guess what, hedge-rat?"

Sonic's heart dropped to somewhere by his knees, Carla blinked and gave him a worried look. Eggman grinned.

"That's right! Finally _I_ have _The Angel Gems_, and now, they're not so angelic." He pressed a hidden button on the underside of the desk, the doors of a built-in lift opened and he ushered them inside." This way, _please_."

Eggman led them down into the bowels of The ARK, Sonic shuddered as he remembered the place from when Shadow had to fight The Bio-Hazard. As the small group neared the center platform, Sonic and Carla were blinded for a second by a pure ,white glow. When the light died down, Carla covered her mouth to hide her gasp.

A large white, misty bird, laid on the metal mesh that was floating in the pool of orange liquid. The Chaos Emeralds hovered around it, the rainbow ring glowed darkly, Sonic knew at once that something was wrong. The Chaos Emeralds were faintly screaming from the _inside_. The bird turned its mighty head, a big golden eye opened as they approached, it narrowed at the sight of them, the bird suddenly reared up against its magical bonds and cried at the top of its lungs.

" You monster!" Cried Carla, " How could you do this to it? Don't you see that it's in pain! Don't you see, you're killing it! "

Sonic looked closely at _The Phoenix_, as he did, he noticed that the bird _did_ look old and it was growing more _orange_by the second. The Emeralds that binded it let out another horrible scream, the hedgehog covered his ears, next to him, Carla slumped into a sitting position, her paws over her ears as her sensitive hearing couldn't cope.

Eggman shook his head, " Killing it? Why would I want that? You see , Carla.. I want to tame _The Phoenix_ and to do so, I need this," He held out Shadow's pendent, walked over to the side of the pool and ,crouching, dipped the ruby into the orange liquid," With this liquid, the very essence of evil, I will bring back the Shadow that I knew, before he found his _good side._ The Shadow that only knows destruction!" He giggled madly.

" But why _The Phoenix_? What has this got to do with Shadow?"

"Think you silly hedgehog! _Who_ made Shadow? _Who_ gave him his Chaos Control powers?"

Sonic was quiet, and then..." Black Doom...So that's it! That's the link?"

" Yes! That's it, both have been made with Black Arms DNA. With the powers of the new Chaos Emeralds, that have been dipped in this goo- the very life of evil: The Black Arms- and the reborn _Phoenix_ ,plus with the help of the unbreakable metal _Diamondius_, I will control the two immortals of all time-- Shadow the Hedgehog and _The White Phoenix _locked inside one body. With that much power at my command, I'll be unstoppable! "

" And _where_..is Shadow's body?" Carla nibbled on her lower lip. Eggman grinned even more.

" Missing him are you? Well now, we can't have that, bring him in!" Silver Shadow and Amy Android wheeled in a trolley, that was covered with a cloth. Eggman grabbed its hem, " Ta-da! The new and improved ..Shadow!" He gave it a tug, the cloth fell away and the bed was lifted into an up-right position.

Sonic and Carla blinked at Egmmans _improvements_ . It was Shadow alright, but he was grey and his stripes on his quills and body were a pale brown. His body was covered in a strange armour--_Diamondius_. The tops of his arms and legs were encased in the metal,as were his elbows and kneecaps. His chest was hidden behind a breastplate that had an indentation, the same size as the ruby. Shadow's head was under a helmet that covered just the top half of his face and parts of his head quills. His eyes were shielded, so Sonic had no clue if they were red or not. He was held in place by four thick straps of metal, so he couldn't get away.

The dying _Phoenix_screeched loudly its body shuddered violently against its bonds. Eggman clapped his hands," This is it! Raise it up,UP!" The two robots worked the cables, the mesh rose and stopped at the right height. Eggman pushed Shadow under it, he placed the fake pendent into the breastplate and stepped back. " Now _Phoenix_, come to me.."

The _Phoenix_ gave one last shake and then its body was engulfed in silver flames.The flames were sucked into the circling Emeralds, that contaminated them with even more evil before they spiralled down into the waiting body of Shadow. The white hedgehog arched up against his bonds and shouted at the top of his lungs as the newly born _Phoenix _dived in, his trashed and struggled about, trying to level out the immense power serge. The pendent glowed to full brightness, acting the part. Finally, when he had stopped, Shadow had his head bowed low, his body heaving with his calming breaths.

The mad Doctor edged forward, stopping when Shadow let out a low growl. " Who are you..?" He asked tentatively.

Shadow snapped his head up, through the tinted glass of the helmet, his eyes glowed golden to match the stripes on his head and body, just like Naminé drew him to be. His body shimmered silver,his Chaos Aura was strong enough for all of them to see. Sonic quickly looked at Carla, who in turn shook her head sadly at him.

Shadow studied Eggman for a second before snarling, " _I am The White Phoenix. I am bonded to this body by the Chaos Emeralds.With this body that never ages and its knowledge, I will do your bidding, my Master. This is who I am." _

Eggman giggled madly and clapped his hands, " Oh I love it! Love it! Silver Shadow, Amy Android,come! We have much to do, bring my new pet. We will use _The Scrambler _to teleport down to the surface. Alert my new cannon fodder to advance towards the city." He pointed to two big robots." You two Mechs, lock away these things, but do take care," He smiled oddly at Sonic, who frowned back. " When _Phoenix_ is done leveling the city, he will need a _challenge_, and I'd hate for anything to happen to his new playmate. Chop- Chop!"

Taking one last look at the new white Shadow as he was helped down by his metal counterpart, Sonic thought he saw a flicker of something cross his face. The hedgehog snarled at him before turning away. Watching the used up Emeralds fall into the vat of Black Arms left overs, Carla reached for his hand and held it firmly. He returned the gesture, shaking his head as they were led away.

Their only hope now, was on the planet below.

**I lost the rough draft of this chapter and had to type it from memory and **

**completely fudged it up.**

**I would like to thank T.A.R.N.S for your reviews.**

**Catch you on the flip side!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I just noticed something, the way I described White Phoenix / Shadow is nearly the same as the silver hedgehog that was shown when Japan promoted Sonic X. I think his name is Nazo or something. Strange huh?**

**Enjoy Chapt 6 folks!**

Chapter 6. 

The metal door slammed in their faces,the sound echoed in the small room.Carla walked around the cell with her arms folded and head down.Sonic, who was majorly peeved, waited for the Mechs to go before kicking and screaming at the door.

" I tried that." Said a soft voice from the darkness. "It didn't work.."

" Amy..? Is that you, I mean, the _real _you?"

She sighed, " Yeah," She pushed herself from the bench and gave him a weak smile, that disappeared as she broke down in tears. She rushed towards him , knocking the air from his lungs as she hugged him tightly." H-He said you'd come! Shadow said you'd come for me!" She wept into the fine fur of his neck, Sonic rubbed her back and she nuzzled in.

"Hey, it's okay.We're here. You're safe now."

Amy sniffed, lifted her head and wiped her eyes. She was stopped when Sonic grabbed her hand to look at her face." It's not that bad.." She patted her bruised cheek ,that was going slightly purple.She dabbed at her sore nose that was covered with dried blood. " I told that fake Shadow robot, that I wasn't giving Shadow up, not now . Not ever! So he smacked me about, but as you can see, it will take more than some silly fake to break me.."

"_That's my girl_," Shadow's ghost had suddenly appeared. He groaned and bent over,resting his hands on his knees." _W-We've got a problem. Glory and others didn't get off the ground.Eggman showed up out of no where and started to attack the city! The whole lot of them are helping G.U.N as we speak, but there's this white thing that's destroying everything.Nothing , no weapons what so ever, are getting through its force field. I don't think they can win."_

"So..what do you want us to do? Take a look around , Shads. We're stuck in here, in space with no hope of getting out. So if you know--"

Shadow held up a hand to stop him." _Knuckles is at the Master Emerald,with the real pendent.He's trying to find some way to get you home,something about a mission for Glory, just look for his signal._ " He moaned and held his head. "_I only just got through the realms,Betwixt Twilight is calling to me. The power of the fake Emerald is weakening_._ I need somewhere safe to rest. Amy, I know you're scared but... it's time_." Shadow nodded at the pink hedgehog, who nodded back. With a grunt, Shadow stood and held out a hand to Amy. As soon as she took it, Shadow glowed gold, Amy sighed as she too glowed gold. A second later Amy stood on her own, and beaming from the inside.

"Oh.. wow! That was _soo _cool!" She looked at the others with a slight frown. " It's OK. Shadow is safe. He's in here," She placed a hand over her heart with a smile. " Where he belongs."

" That's great ,now... how the heck do we get out of here?" Sonic looked out the only small window.There came thundering boom, Sonic turned from the window to find Amy standing, hammer in hand, over the broken cell door. She grinned at them.

" Ta-da!" She giggled.

" I-I.. What? Huh?" Carla and Sonic gaped at the broken door.

She shrugged, " I like having Shadow inside me.." At Sonic expression and raised brow, she blushed. " Wait! That came out wrong. I mean.._argh_..I mean, we're stronger when we're together."

Before Sonic could utter a single word, there came another thundering boom, the shock wave caused all three of them to take cover.As soon as the coast was clear,they gathered by the window,Sonic used his arm to wipe away the dust. When they had a clear enough view, Amy's and Carla's mouths dropped open and Sonic just stared, then rubbed his eyes, smacked his face and then looked again.

" _Holy crap _!!" Was all he could get out.

Carla opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, before finding her voice and saying,"Did you see that !? The Chaos Emeralds completely blew a side of The ARK to smithereens! Where'd you think they're going?" She stood on her tip-toes as the seven Emeralds sped down towards the planet below.

" I don't know, but we're fresh outta time! Come on!" Sonic led them along corridor after corridor, stairwell after stairwell.Soon, they were lost. Carla sat against the wall, panting and rubbing her arm, that for some strange reason had started to itch. Amy looked worried and Sonic paced by another set of windows. " A signal..where is the signal? I don't see one! Do you!?"

" Sonic, please.."

"Don't start, Amy..Just--" He blinked and then frowned. "How long has that been there?" He pointed out the window.

Stopping her scratching for a moment, Carla snapped her head up. " What?" She looked around her and spotted a blinking light out the window. She got up and looked at it closely, slipping her glasses on. She smiled and quickly turned to the others. " It's green..it's _emerald_ green! It's The Master Emerald! Knuckles did it, he completed his mission for Glory. Come on!" She dashed along the corridor and out of sight. " Hurry up, Uncle Sonic! Hurry!"

Sonic sighed and grabbed Amy's hand, He dragged her behind him as they followed Carla. The Android led them to a smashed opened walkway, the group looked at the beam of light ,that was growing stronger and stronger with each passing second. Amy stepped gingerly to the edge and peeked down, she squeaked and hurried back to Sonic's side with her eyes covered.

" Now w-what?" She mumbled.

" Hm, let's see what Knuckles suggests." Carla flipped open her wrist plate, at both hedgehogs looks, she shrugged. " I am Tails' daughter, after all. Knuckles? Do you read me? This is Caz."

"_ I hear you, Caz. Is everyone alright up there_?" At the sound of Sonic and Amy's hellos, he chuckled. " _I take that as a yes. I have a question for Sonic_,"

" Shoot, big guy."

" _What the hell happened to The Chaos Emeralds !? I just finished the final touches to The Master Emerald so that you can use it to get home and they came screaming at me, and I mean _screaming!_What'd you do to 'em?"_

" It wasn't us! Eggman contaminated them just like he did when he tried to control Chaos, remember? You should've seen them just now, they completely trashed The ARK, they--"

_" Okay, okay... The main thing is that they're _here_ and I can stabilize them in time for you to use them Sonic ,if you have to. Just use The Master Emerald and get back here quickly. Tails gave me the pendent because his Emerald died, I need Amy here so she can release Shadow...You _do_ have Shadow with you ,right ?" _

" He's here, Knuxs and he's safe. One question."

A sigh,_ " Yes?"_

" _How, _do we use The Master Emerald?"

Knuckles chuckled, _" Just jump. The Master Emerald will do the rest. Knuckles out." _

Carla clicked her wrist shut and looked at Sonic, who was looking at the beam of green, rubbing his chin. He walked to the edge of the pathway, counting the steps under his breath. He turned, retraced his journey and then clicked his fingers, he grinned and started stretching out his legs. " Erm...Uncle Sonic...?"

" Are we doing this thing, or what?"

Carla stamped her foot, " Are you _serious_!?"

" Oh no, " went Amy, shaking her head at the blue hedgehog. "No. no, no! You've got to be kidding." Sonic grinned at her and held out both his hands, one look from him told her he wasn't kidding. She sighed defeated, " Okay.. if this is the _only_ way back home, I'm game." She went to his side and held his hand.

Carla ran a hand over her face with a sigh, " We're gonna die.. I just know we're gonna die..."As she took his other hand, Sonic tutted at her, "What?"

"Caz, you don't know anything, do you? Knuxs is _the_ expert on Chaos Emeralds, if he says it's cool. It's Cool." He tightened his hold on them,and got down into a starting position. " Ready?"

" No."

"Nah-uh."

Sonic smirked and ran. The pathway under them turned into a grey blur, Amy and Carla could hear the beatings of their hearts, the rapid breathing of the blue hedgehog between them. Both girls squeezed his hands as they shot off the end like a shining blue comet, and into the green light.

As they fell, a sudden electrical charge caught them by surprise. Sonic shouted in shock and accidentally let go of the girls. He could faintly make out Amy's screams of terror, caught a glimpse of black and white fur as Carla fell behind. Sonic grabbed his head as pain exploded within his brain, all he could remember seeing was the green light around him before he blacked out.

Tumbling downwards, into the light...

_**To be concluded...**_

**Will Sonic and the girls be OK?**

**Can **_**The Phoenix **_**be stopped and will Shadow be saved?**

**Well... you'll have to read Vol Three, Naught's Sunrise to find out !**

**Please R and R if you like.**

**Mazz84 xx**


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